Silent Targeting

Understanding how to use targeting correctly is a key to a successful Hustle campaign. Unfortunately there are a few ways that you can silently miss targeting your Contacts which leads to a large amount of confusion for users. In this blog post, we will overview the common pitfalls around silent targeting and give you tools on how to check your targeting before you create your next goal!

What is Silent Targeting?

Silent targeting is an issue where Hustle is not able to find any Contacts with the parameters listed in your scripts or targeting and will therefore not send out any messages to your Contacts. Instead of targeting folks to text, you would not be targeting anyone to text (say your workplace could be one of 3 locations but, none of your Contacts have a location listed, you would have a goal that is not targeting anyone).

What are ways that you would silently target no one?

Accidentally adding a non-existent parameter such as <NAME> rather than <Contact Name> or <Agent Name>

When creating your script, you have the option to use parameters that will autofill the data from your CSV or Contact profiles. One of the parameters will use the name listed in the Contact’s profile to personalize this message. However, if you add a custom parameter that you typed into the script for <NAME> rather than using the predetermined parameter listed in the Hustle script, you may run into an issue with silent targeting because your Contacts have a field for <Contact Name> but, not for <NAME>. Use the blue parameter buttons at the bottom of script editor to ensure that you are adding the parameter properly. Typing the parameters out will cause the script to break.

Using a Custom Field in the script without that value listed for your Contacts

Using a Custom Field in a script is a great way to personalize your message to your Contacts even further. Be sure that you have a value listed for the Custom Field that you choose to add to the script. If none of your Contacts have a value for that Custom Field, you will not send out a message. This is due to the fact that Hustle is only including Contacts with Custom Field values in the goal in which you used the Custom Field. This phenomenon also applies to your additional response scripts!

It should also be noted that there are 2 different color Custom Fields in Hustle. Blue Fields denote the parameters that are already built into Hustle (such as Contacts Name, Agent Name, on event date and at event time). Custom Fields that you create for your Hustle organization will be purple!

Targeting by Tag

You have the ability to connect with your Contacts by either engaging or suppressing a certain tag. However, when you setup these parameters there is a possibility that you are not targeting anyone in your list and it won’t create any workflows. Keep in mind the following:

Excluding a tag is the “OR” function (e.g. suppressing ‘Moved’ and ‘Already Voted’ will exclude folks with either the ‘Moved’ tag OR the ‘Already Voted’ tag). If they have both of those tags, they will be excluded. If they have neither of these tags, they will be included for messaging.

Including a tag is the “AND” function (e.g. engaging ‘Donor’ and ‘VIP’ will target folks who have both the ‘Donor’ AND ‘VIP’ tag) but will not include Contacts that only have the ‘Donor’ tag).

How can you double check that you are using Targeting correctly?

When creating your scripts, you will see at the bottom of the text box a number of people who are being targeted. If that number reads “0”, you are not targeting anyone. Additionally, when targeting by tags, there is a number that will show you how many targets are included in the targeting parameters you setup, if that number reads “0”, you are not targeting any of your Contacts.

You also have the ability to check on your targeting in our Contacts page using our filtering feature. To check on your targeting for a specific set of parameters, follow the steps below:

Click on ‘Contacts’

Filter by ‘Active’ Contacts with the Custom Field Response you are targeting

Write down that number

Then, filter by ‘Opted Out’ Contacts and write down that number

Finally, subtract the Number of Active Contacts with the Number of Opted Out Contacts and that number should match the number of people you have targeted in your goal.

Targeting is a huge part of the success of your Hustle campaign. Without it, you don’t have the ability to engage your audience with the most personalized, contextual message! Now that you know how to slide past the pitfalls that await you with silent targeting, you too can go forth and prosper!